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Abstract

The outbreak of cases of famine among pupils at school during the previous two years,
preoccupied seriously the members of the educational community as well as the appropriate
state agencies, and raised the awareness of the Greek society to a large extent. Motivated
by the recent actions of the Ministry of Education to face these problems, memories
and discussions concerning various social pedagogical actions developed in Greece
during periods of crisis have emerged. One of them was the free school meals which
functioned for decades in Greece, aiming at the management of malnutrition among students.The aim of the present study is to highlight a) the paramount importance function
of free school meals in times of crises, during which the population’s malnutrition
and especially that of pupils was taking life-threatening dimensions b) the efforts
made for free school meals to function on a social pedagogical basis both by the state
which took the necessary measures (the adoption of the necessary institutional framework,
providing the relevant economic recourses, etc.) by the Church, charitable, private
and other entities c) the social pedagogical awareness of Greek society and of educators
themselves, aiming at the support and the expansion of school free meals and d) the
strong social pedagogical reflexes displayed by Greek society on this issue and including
the initiatives of students in Teacher Training Schools, who would be later called
upon to teach and educate the future citizens of the country.

Author notes

*Labrini Skoura is Associate Professor at the Faculty of Primary Education of National and Kapodistrian
University of Athens, a graduate of the Faculty of Law of the same University and
a Doctor of History of neo- Hellenic Education at the Faculty of Primary Education
of National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, where she has been teaching since
1997 (initially as specific scientific personnel P.D. 407/1980, then as a Lecturer
and at the moment as an Assistant Professor). She has written the books:
Educational Policy in Teachers’ Training during the 20th century (Philosophy - Institutions), Athens 2001,
The Primary School at Pyles on Karpathos: a modern cell of education and culture, Athens 2004,
General Education in Greece (1862-1910) Institutions, Perceptions, Inequalities: A
historical-sociological approach
(in press: Athens Gutenberg Editions). She has also written many articles and studies
on the history of Educators’ Training and on the history of Women Education, which
have been published in reliable scientific journals and collective volumes. She has
taken part in scientific conventions and seminars with presentations. She is a founding
member of the Hellenic Association of Historians of Education, a member of the Hellenic
Pedagogic Association and of the Centre of Research, Science and Education as well.

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